In the foundation of this wonderful structure were driven 10,762 piles, the work of ten engines for a whole year; on these were placed two layers of blocks of granite, carefully worked and never again to be seen, being 15 feet below the surface of the street. They serve as a base to the walls of the cathedral, of which the more important are granite, to the level of the pavement, the remainder being constructed with compact masonry, bed upon bed, costing £200,000.
The portico on each of the four fronts consists of twelve Corinthian columns, each 7 feet diameter, and 57 feet long, in one block.
The dome is surrounded by 24 columns, each 42 feet in height, and is constructed of metal, viz., 52 tons of copper, 321 tons of brass, 524 tons wrought iron, 1,068 tons of cast iron, and 247 lbs. of ducat gold.
Three of the doors are 30 feet high and 12 feet wide, four others 17 feet high and 8 wide.
The interior is the form of a great cross, with the dome in the centre, the altar screen 150 feet long and 70 feet high, of white marble, encrusted with porphyry, jasper and other precious stones, and enriched with eight Corinthian columns of malachite and two lapis lazuli 42 feet high, and the doors into the chancel of silver, containing scriptural expressions 35 feet high and 14 wide, the whole costing 52 millions of roubles, or say in round numbers, 8½ millions sterling.
The day we attended proved a fête day, and of course was very much crowded by all ranks, from the richest noble to the humblest serf, in one general mass.
There were upwards of 20 priests officiating in their gorgeous robes, performing various ceremonies amidst frequent processions, and occasionally reading from one of their sacred books in so loud and distinct a tone as to be heard through the immense cathedral, and at other times chanting in deep bass tones, varied by the assistance of young choristers, with the sweetest voices, producing the most delightful harmony.
During the service, which lasted 2½ hours, the cathedral was illuminated by seven chandeliers, containing each 130 candles, and other smaller ones, all of silver; in addition to these were many votive candles purchased by various worshippers and deposited in sockets of a silver frame work placed near the altar, amounting altogether to not fewer than 1,500 lights.
St. Petersburg can boast of several large monuments, the Ramanzof erected to the field-marshal of that name, and Suwaroff, one of their most distinguished heroes; also the column of Alexander, a single shaft of red granite, upwards of 80 feet in height. The base and pedestal is composed of one enormous block, above 25 feet square, and to secure the base there were no fewer than six successive rows of piles, the shaft of the column alone weighing nearly 400 tons.
On the pedestal is the following short and well-chosen inscription: